Not 1, but 10 winners at the Ride Shakedown 2014!

Saint-Sauveur, April 5th 2014 – The 13th edition of the Ride Shakedown, presented by Videotron crowned not one, but ten champions on Saturday night at Mont St-Sauveur. Due to strong wind gusts and constant snowfall, the top 10 athletes felt it was wiser to set aside the international snowboarding competition’s Big Air jump, opting instead to give the crowd a show on the rail feature.

“Our event is organized for athletes. It is ultimately their decision and we respect it. Furthermore, we fully agree with their decision. The weather was a serious safety concern,” expressed Patryck Bernier, co-founder and producer of the Ride Shakedown along with Brendan O’Dowd.

In a rider’s meeting, all 10 finalists also decided to split the $40,000 prize purse in equal parts. As a result, Quebec natives Justin De Castris, Philippe Fournier, Maxence Parrot, Michael Roy, Sébastien Toutant, and Marc-André Tremblay, Americans Brandon Davis, Mark Hoyt, and Seamus O’Connor, as well as Norwegian Emil Ulsletten will all leave the competition with deeper pockets, $4,000 deeper to be exact.

As an added bonus for being the top ranked semifinalist, Maxence Parrot earned the surf trip to Hotel Cinco in Punta de Mita, Mexico, which was meant for the Ride Shakedown title champion. Furthermore, athletes will be awarded points on the World Snowboard Tour as per their semifinal ranking.

While the decision demonstrated utmost sportsmanship, the the 90-minute final was set to be quite the showdown, as the top two of four judged runs would set athletes apart from one another. This laid-back approach beloved by all contestants, at the very heart of the Ride Shakedown’s unique format, had set the scene perfectly for the execution of spectacular performances.

All was not lost for the courageous spectators who traveled to St-Sauveur. Many athletes stepped up and gave the audience a show, despite Mother Nature’s trying temperament.

Semifinal, autograph session and half-time show

In the afternoon, all 30 semifinalists took on the course and sought to impress the judges. Strong gusts of wind and constant snowfall posed an added challenge to the more complex tricks, however, 10 athletes came out on top and moved on to the final after fearlessly taking on the elements.

Spectators were treated to plenty of action throughout the day with events such as the Snowboard Canada Magazine autograph session as well as the highly anticipated halftime show, where Mini-Pros aged 13 and under showed the crowd what they were made of on a set of rails. Due to the weather conditions, the skateboard show was replaced with a rail jam, where Toutant stepped up and executed the best trick, earning him a $2,000 prize purse.

Despite the wind and snow, Patryck Bernier and Brendan O’Dowd believe to have exceeded ever growing expectations for the 13th consecutive year.

“The near 15,000 people who travelled to Mont St-Sauveur on Friday and Saturday bear witness to their faith in our event. They have high expectations for our event and we are always sure to meet those expectations, if not go beyond!” said Mr. Bernier, proud of their achievement.

“We want the Ride Shakedown to constantly evolve and we do it as much for the riders as for the fans who travel to be here. We want to reach athletes all across the world and present our event to as many people as possible,” concludes MR. O’Dowd.

The Ride Shakedown presented by Videotron Mobile on TVA Sports, MATV and TSN2

The 2014 Ride Shakedown can also be seen in your living room thanks to TVA Sports, MATV and TSN2. A 60-minute highlights show will be broadcast soon on these channels. There will also be a 30-minute special called Trois histoires, un Ride Shakedown broadcast on TVA Sports and MATV in April. Full details here. You can catch these shows online via Ride Shakedown’s Youtube and Vimeo accounts.

Unique competition format

What distinguishes the Ride Shakedown and contributes to its success is first and foremost its competition format, a laid-back and festive environment where the constraints on the athletes are minimal. At the center of the action, the public benefits from an accessible and entertainment-packed show.

Partners of the Ride Shakedown presented by Videotron Mobile

The 13th edition of the Ride Shakedown is made possible thanks to the support and participation of Ride Snowboards, title sponsor, Videotron Mobile, event presenter, Mont Saint-Sauveur, Empire, Coors Light, Rockstar, Xtraslush, Moog Audio as well as Oakley, POP Headwear, Snowboard Canada Magazine, 33mag.com, 91,9 Radio X Montreal and World Snowboard Tour.